PLD Posted July 23, 2012 Share Posted July 23, 2012 ​Had a fantasic day in Manchester on Saturday... Good to meet you on Saturday Tom, and Sam and Anna. Those trams look even better in the flesh than the photos and from comments of others who saw them you certainly made a good impression. When you go into production I'll have a Balloon please and if you do the Brush Car I'll also have one of those. (If you need any more detail photos of the Brush just yell and I get them next time I'm in the park) Paul Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balloon_726 Posted July 25, 2012 Author Share Posted July 25, 2012 Good to meet you on Saturday Tom, and Sam and Anna. Those trams look even better in the flesh than the photos and from comments of others who saw them you certainly made a good impression. When you go into production I'll have a Balloon please and if you do the Brush Car I'll also have one of those. (If you need any more detail photos of the Brush just yell and I get them next time I'm in the park) Paul Cheers Paul, really nice to meet you to... sure thing I can put you on the list... give me a month and i'll get back to you Tom Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CWJ Posted July 25, 2012 Share Posted July 25, 2012 Just found this thread, great to see some imaginative scratchbuilding techniques and I'm particularly impressed with the graphics on the trams - are they home-made transfers? Little details such as the cast concrete fencing give the layout an unmistakably 'Blackpool' feel - good stuff! Cheers, Will Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balloon_726 Posted July 25, 2012 Author Share Posted July 25, 2012 (edited) Just found this thread, great to see some imaginative scratchbuilding techniques and I'm particularly impressed with the graphics on the trams - are they home-made transfers? Little details such as the cast concrete fencing give the layout an unmistakably 'Blackpool' feel - good stuff! Cheers, Will Hi thanks, yep own printed watersides, take a bit of time to do but worth it :-) Yeah fencing is sort of temporary, we printed it on card and glued back to back, it works but im looking at better ways of doing it... Edited July 25, 2012 by Balloon_726 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJS1977 Posted July 25, 2012 Share Posted July 25, 2012 Good to see an "old friend" in some of your photos - ALD966B (along with most of the rest of the Blackpool Routemasters) was transferred to Reading in 1994 and ran here until shortly before RM operation ended in Reading in 2000. I believe it still belongs to an enthusiast somewhere near here, who was planning to return it to Blackpool colours. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave flint Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 Great models and i too went to and enjoyed the Manchester show on Sunday. Can i ask a really big favour? i want to try and scratchbuild a jubilee tram in oo but can't find any drawings. Can you point me in the right direction please. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stewartingram Posted July 27, 2012 Share Posted July 27, 2012 Great models and i too went to and enjoyed the Manchester show on Sunday. Can i ask a really big favour? i want to try and scratchbuild a jubilee tram in oo but can't find any drawings. Can you point me in the right direction please. Tramalan card kit No.1 featured 762, could be used as a drawing? I've just looked at one I have here and it is basically a b/w drawing but I have no idea of accuracy. Stewart Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PLD Posted July 27, 2012 Share Posted July 27, 2012 Great models and i too went to and enjoyed the Manchester show on Sunday. Can i ask a really big favour? i want to try and scratchbuild a jubilee tram in oo but can't find any drawings. Can you point me in the right direction please. There is a booklet published in the late 1980s called "Modernising Blackpools Tramway" [green cover with a pic of a Centenary] or something similar which dealt with the introduction of the O-M-Os, Jubilees and Centenary cars. That had dimensioned drawings of at least side views of each of those three classes. [i'll update/correct as necessary when I get home and can dig out my copy...] Tramalan card kit I presume you actually mean Peter Watson's range of card kits http://www.transportnostalgia.co.uk/ not Tramalan (which were whitemetal...) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stewartingram Posted July 27, 2012 Share Posted July 27, 2012 I presume you actually mean Peter Watson's range of card kits http://www.transportnostalgia.co.uk/ not Tramalan (which were whitemetal...) Definately Tramalan. You have a PM Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red Devil Posted July 27, 2012 Share Posted July 27, 2012 Terry Russell does a drawing of 761 http://www.terryrusselltrams.co.uk/drawingsbritish.htm Mark Hughes still has 761 and 762 available as a kit http://www.themodelbus.com/kits/mark_hughes_1.htm Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave flint Posted July 27, 2012 Share Posted July 27, 2012 Thanks folk. Peter Watson isn't taking any more orders for his card models, and the Hughes kit is a bit beyond my skills. I think the boxy jubilee and centenary cars should be doable as a scratchbuild in plasticard as a winter project IF i can find drawings. I've got loads of blackpool tram books but none have them. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balloon_726 Posted August 11, 2012 Author Share Posted August 11, 2012 (edited) Update Time..... When Team Thornton Gate visited the Manchester model tram exhibition 2012. Hi all sorry its been a few weeks, but have been really busy, with work and getting Thornton Gate ready for its next public outing on September 1st.... Anyway thought id share a few photos from our trip to Manchester. Had a really good day.. made a lot of new contacts and met some forum members, Didn't taken anything of the exhibition but did of the Brush Car at heaton park tramway, were we spent a bit of time during the day. Big thanks to Paul and the staff at heaton park, for there help and for taking us for a ride on the brush car :-) . Right now for developments.... As already mentioned Thornton Gate is next going out to the Ludlow exhibition on September 1st, I'll post more details soon... Myself and Sam (my brother) are now experimenting with Kato chassises as a replacement for Bachmann bills, its early days but so far very impressed! On the modelling front , Im working on a brush car, and conversion for my balloon to a flush front 'Millennium' class and/or as a modern updated balloon, looking at doing a version of 700 in flexy pink ... which hopfully will be ready for Ludlow. My Farish 04 will also hopefully be chipped and ready allowing some shunting movements and operation in Thornton Gate yard during the show. Im also going to get the missing buildings in such as the houses, sheds and sub station which are missing, and maybe even the wires up..... photos will follow... Thanks for reading. Edited August 12, 2012 by Balloon_726 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balloon_726 Posted August 24, 2012 Author Share Posted August 24, 2012 (edited) Ludlow Exhibition on Saturday 1st of September Finally got back to working on a few improvements for Thornton Gate ahead of its next public outing to Ludlow in less then 2 weeks time! Rolling stock wise, Ive started creating new ends to convert my balloon cast into a millennium car... Above: Taking a hacksaw to a balloon, and replacing with new flush ends, seen here the master for the new ends which have now been made into a mould and casted. Also in the works (be it in paper prototyping stage only) the Brush Car, im still trying to get the shape right before committing to plastic. And finally on this small update , I have began experimenting with superb Kato chassises, the size is just amazing, there really easy to cut and lengthen, as well as custom chip, Currently im still trilling a small fleet of these chassises, but looking at it all ready, the days of Bachmann Brill trolly split chassises may be numbered, as when funds allow i might move the whole fleet over to Kato units... Anyway Thornton Gate is out at the Ludlow (Shropshire) Exhibition on Saturday September the 1st, at the St johns ambulance building in the town, doors open at 10am.... Failing that, Thornton Gate will make its 3rd and last planned appearance of 2012, at the 'puffin rail day' exhibition at Bayston Hill, Shrewsbury (Shropshire) on Saturday 24th of November.. more details will following on this one nearer the time... The layout is currently in my office at work being prepped for Ludlow :-) which is quite cool .... however ive not got a lot done on it so far, as everyone else in the building has had to come down and have a look... with comments like "ohhh have you got a model railway in there?" and "dose it work and can i have a look?" still could be worse! Edited August 24, 2012 by Balloon_726 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balloon_726 Posted September 5, 2012 Author Share Posted September 5, 2012 (edited) Ludlow Exhibition 2012 Hi all, time for an update September the 1st Thornton Gate made its 2nd outing to the Ludlow Model Railway Exhibition. Now I dont want to get into any arguments here, nor do I wish to continue this discussion, but..... I did not enjoy this show at all, and found it appallingly organised, for legal reasons this is purely a personal opinion, and I will not name any one persons or the club that ran the exhibition. However if you are from said exhibition comity, and your reading this, I will say in 10 years of public exhibiting, I have never been so utterly disappointed and disgusted as I was on September 1st. Right now for some more positive news of the day... Above: A few changes since the last show, Thornton Gate now has a 'corporate blue' frontage (which was a bit wet still), and for this show had 2 new operators joining me. Above: Her first time on the exhibition scene, Ms Anna Fellows, one of the builders of Thornton Gate, it was so nice to have her join me out at exhibition. Above: New this time is the house which is the second building to be placed on the layout, it still requires work, gardens and surrounding sheds. Also the mainlines have now been electrified ( be it cosmetic only) with the fitting of over head wires. These however are a little high at present but even so still coursed some gauging problems with rolling stock, something i'll have to address before the next outing. Above: stock line up in the station during the exhibition. Above: Now I had made a prediction that balloon 710 (metro pink) would fail during the show as it is not well mechanically, however despite the noise it continued to run all day, what was unforeseen was the failure of 708 with pickup electrical issues due to the custom DCC wiring, so after only a few hours in operation 708 was dumped on public display at the back of Thornton Gate sidings... However it will be working again come the layouts next outing in November. Above: The only other major issue to develop after the show was a points failure, where the crossbar has split away from the brass control rodding, meaning the point is suck in position, a common issue it seems with older peco points, so it will have to be dug up and replaced, this might not get done in time for November, in which case the centre road will have to be used for up services with any terminating services having to use the yard sidings, not ideal but oh well :-/ I think the best comment of the day was from this littel kid that kept coming back with mum and dad to look at the layout over and over again, he watched the trams, then looked up at Anna who was driving at the time and said 'look a lady driver!' in astonishment of seeing a young female behind the layout! just makes me smile :-) Right well Thornton Gate is next out at the 'Puffin rail day', Bayston Hill, Shrewsbury exhibition on November 24th, this will be our last outing of 2012, it is a really good non commercial friendly show and one ive supported for years, so if you can come along, its well worth it :-) Thanks for reading, and sorry for the little rant at the start :-) Edited September 5, 2012 by Balloon_726 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Western Scottish Posted September 5, 2012 Share Posted September 5, 2012 I really enjoy your updates on the layout. I love Blackpool trams and am very interested. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balloon_726 Posted October 6, 2012 Author Share Posted October 6, 2012 Its time for an update! Hello All sorry its been over a month been very busy with other none tram things :-( Still some news to share with you all.... Wednesday just gone (3rd Oct 2012) I did my first public talk about the Thornton Gate Project. I was invited by the Association Of Shrewsbury Railway Modellers to do a talk and presentation to its members on their meeting nights which is in a class room at the Priory School in Shrewsbury... Sam came along to and filmed the event as well as taking a few photos... so give me a month and so and i'll post the talk on here for all that are interested... For now here are some photos, and to be honest i wasn't that nervous about it... which even i was surprised about! Above: View from the front of the audience which makes it look like a big empty room! .... trust me it was not! Above: Thornton gates rolling stock out on show, after the talk people were free to have a look at the models and ask questions.. I also bought down some cast model blocks which are now too warn to be used again.. just to show the casting process, if you have one of my tram kits its most likely that the shells would have come form these molds. In Other News..... I had a very random phone call from a very nice chap from Freightlinner at Crewe of all places, inviting Thornton Gate to exhibit at the Crewe Heritage Centre show on October the 27th and 28th, this is very exciting and means were adding one more exhibition to this years calendar. I'll have some kits to sell and hopefully a few surprises two, including a new tram class coming to the range... Thornton Gate will then make its last planned 2012 appearance at my local show, that being at the Bayston Hill 'Puffin rail show' just out side Shrewsbury, Shropshire on November 24th... The team are now getting ready for these shows including all the new stock and repair work required, I hope to update again with works photos before we go Crewe, If you can make it, do say hi, it was nice to meet so many people from here at Manchester earlier in the year... Anyway thanks for reading as always , Tom Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SNCF stephen Posted October 7, 2012 Share Posted October 7, 2012 I have to say I always enjoy reading this thread. Your tram models are superb and it reminds me that it is a shame that I have nowhere to run trams at the moment. Have you ever thought about producing your tram models using the medium of 3D printing? Good luck with your next few "tour dates" I hope that they go well. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Legend Posted October 7, 2012 RMweb Premium Share Posted October 7, 2012 Thanks for update. Enjoy reading them. I'll have a bet the next new tram is a brush car Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PLD Posted October 7, 2012 Share Posted October 7, 2012 Thanks for update. Enjoy reading them. I'll have a bet the next new tram is a brush car As that's 'my big green toy' in post 37 I hope so! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balloon_726 Posted October 9, 2012 Author Share Posted October 9, 2012 I have to say I always enjoy reading this thread. Your tram models are superb and it reminds me that it is a shame that I have nowhere to run trams at the moment. Have you ever thought about producing your tram models using the medium of 3D printing? Good luck with your next few "tour dates" I hope that they go well. Well, thanks for reading! I try to make it as interesting as possible :-) If you ever do want some trams .... you know who to contact ;-) As for 3D printing I get asked about this a lot and yes we have looked at it and maybe very soon, however the tech still has some limitations and the cost is still way to high to be viable, so for now we'll continue with our half and half computer assisted hand build method. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balloon_726 Posted October 9, 2012 Author Share Posted October 9, 2012 Thanks for update. Enjoy reading them. I'll have a bet the next new tram is a brush car Your Welcome Erm nice guess not quite... the brush car was announced earlier this year and should be ready very very soon... will post pics once plastic mastering is complete. At the same time as the brush car development we had another tram class we were working on, all being well this one should make the crewe show and be available for sale. Brush car should be ready in November... Then we have to decide what to build for 2013, Ive got a list of peoples wants, which basically is the entire Blackpool fleet, and Im really confident that we'll get there in good time Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balloon_726 Posted October 9, 2012 Author Share Posted October 9, 2012 As that's 'my big green toy' in post 37 I hope so! As above, November for Brush Car (hopefully) want to get it as right as possible... Out of interest how is the balloon coming on? I cant wait to see one painted up by someone else, ive been watching forums regally ... waiting for the first photo of a none Thornton Gate N balloon car to appear! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PLD Posted October 9, 2012 Share Posted October 9, 2012 As above, November for Brush Car (hopefully) want to get it as right as possible... Out of interest how is the balloon coming on? I cant wait to see one painted up by someone else, ive been watching forums regally ... waiting for the first photo of a none Thornton Gate N balloon car to appear! TBH The Balloon is way down the list of jobs at the moment. Too busy with the real thing over the last couple of months - four different tramways in the last five weekends (Heaton Park/Crich/Blackpool/Birkenhead...) After Balloon, Jubilee & Brush, the obvious choices are then Centenary (but original condition or 4 styles of rebuild) and ex-towing Railcoach (which has the advantage of being reusable as a Twin Car Motor)... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balloon_726 Posted October 26, 2012 Author Share Posted October 26, 2012 (edited) Thornton Gate at Crewe this weekend! Hi all, just time for the final update ahead of tomorrows 'Model Railway Show and Miniature Railway Gala' at Crewe heritage centre, this is 'the gates' first major outing so if you happen to be in Cheshire this weekend do say hi :-) Right well time for that update and a few things have changed and are getting there, including the first test run of our new tram class making it debut this weekend! Above: finally new station signs! Above: Paint still wet! 624 (it should be 642!) makes its final test run today crossing over the road into Old Thornton Gate station Above: The new tram class is the first to use the Bachmann USA PCC trolly chassis and has been wired for digital in the same way as the brills Above: With the best part of a year of shows, talks and generally being carted around the existing fleet where starting to look a bit tired, after cleaning and servicing ahead of Crewe all trams where given a quick weathering which helps hide any defects in the shells or paint work, seen here still drying! Above: 624 sits on the up line in the station area, as you can see a lot of work has been done to this area, were hoping to have the rest of the buildings in come the end of the exhibition year for us in November. Right well thats it for now, im off to bed! Crewe Heritage Centre opens its doors at 10 tomorrow (SAT 27th) and (Sun 28th)! All the best..... Edited October 26, 2012 by Balloon_726 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cromptonnut Posted October 26, 2012 Share Posted October 26, 2012 Not seen this one before, jolly nice layout of a rarely modelled prototype. Having spent a few weekends in Blackpool for the illuminations over the years, I'm vaguely familiar with the system, and you've definitely captured it well. Staying near the Bispham tramstop on the sea front meant I saw a lot of trams over the time I was there. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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